The latest, upgraded, version of Russia’s Mi-28H “Night Hunter” helicopter gunship will be virtually invulnerable to enemy fire, Zvezda TV reported. Even though it looks much like its predecessor, the Mi-28NM “Super Hunter” boasts the latest and most innovative materials available and is armed with the most advanced active defense systems money can buy. The “Super Hunter” is also equipped with circular-view radar previously installed on export models only. However, according to the makers of “Super Hunter”, the NO25E radar offers a notable improvement over even the export-oriented unit. Another thing making the souped-up Mi-28NM so special is its unique...

Denel is in discussions with various government departments including the South African Air Force (SAAF) on upgrading the Rooivalk combat helicopter and developing a next generation Rooivalk Mk 2, which is being marketed to potential foreign clients. Denel revealed plans for the next generation Rooivalk during a demonstration event at the Denel Overberg Test Range (DOTR) in the Western Cape earlier this month, during which the Rooivalk fired two Mokopa precision guided missiles as part of ongoing qualification testing. Mike Kgobe, CEO of Denel Aviation, told defenceWeb that the demonstration was based on renewed interest expressed in the helicopter, especially...

On October 9, 2012, former Defence Minister AK Antony termed the fight between the Indian Army and Indian Air Force over attack helicopters a 'family problem.' With both the Air Force and the Army's aviation corps requesting attack helicopters for themselves, the two children of the family just weren't getting along. Now, it seems as if the family feud has been resolved in a classic tilted compromise: Both the Army and the Air Force will get a little bit each. For years, the Air Force claimed that giving the Army helicopters would lead to a duplication of assets. The Army...

These great photos and statement out of HAL today on the LCH's progress, including hot & high tests in Ladakh. Here's what they sent out: HAL successfully carried out the hot and the high-altitude trials of indigenously designed, developed attack chopper Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) at Leh recently. “These seasonal trials - including cold weather trials carried out at Leh during February this year - have been completed as part of the certification process. The flight trials at Leh have established hover performance and low speed handling characteristics of the helicopter under extreme weather conditions at different altitudes (3200...

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has completed delivery of the first batch of nine T129 Atak helicopters to the Turkish Army. They are “now being used effectively in operational theaters” according to the company. Turkey has recently renewed military action against Kurdish separatists in the southeast of the country, after a cease-fire broke down. These nine are T129A early development helicopters (EDHs) that were ordered in late 2010 for speedier introduction than the definitive T129B, of which 50 are scheduled for delivery to the Turkish Army. The T129As are armed only with the 20mm gun and unguided rockets. The T129Bs will...

Over the last week the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), designed and built in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), moved a crucial step closer to operational service by successfully completing a set of gruelling trials in the desert areas around Jodhpur. These were the LCH's "hot weather flight trials", designed to check whether it could meet its performance requirements even in blazing temperatures, with oxygen in short supply. HAL pilots proved their helicopter's ability to meet its performance specifications, handling qualities and loads, even at low speeds when a helicopter engine is gasping for air. In February, the LCH had...

Saudi Air Force seeks to purchase modern attack helicopters from Turkey The newspaper reported that Turkish officials entered into negotiations with their Saudi counterparts about the aircraft "T -129", which conducted its first test flight last month Abdul Nabi Shaheen, Correspondent Published: 14:35 September 22, 2011 Riyadh: The Saudi army requested from Turkey to engage in a tender for the production of attack helicopters for the Royal Saudi Air Force, said the Turkish newspaper, Sabah, on Thursday. The newspaper reported that Turkish officials entered into negotiations with their Saudi counterparts about the aircraft "T -129", which conducted its first test...

Eurocopter’s Tiger HAD Support and Attack Helicopter Version for France Performs its Maiden Flight (Source: Eurocopter; issued December 17, 2010) The first pre-serial Tiger HAD (fire support and destruction) for France made its maiden flight from Eurocopter’s Marignane, France facility. It marks an important step towards the Block I initial qualification of the Tiger HAD, which is one of four versions in Eurocopter’s multi-role Tiger combat helicopter family. During the next several months, Eurocopter will conduct joint testing and development flights of this Tiger HAD along with the first Spanish Tiger HAD – which re-started its flight test sequences three...

US, Russia in race for IAF attack choppers deal Manu Pubby Posted online: Sat Jun 26 2010, 04:00 hrs New Delhi : The US and Russia will face off for the deal to supply the Indian Air Force crucial attack choppers after two major competitors from Europe pulled out citing technical reasons. The mainstay attack helicopters of the two countries will arrive in India within two months and will be put through several rounds of gruelling tests. What has left many surprised is that Eurocopter’s Tiger and Agusta’s A129 Mangusta have pulled out of the estimated $600 million contest and...

With the Indian Air Force embarking on modernisation, the skies over different parts of the country will witness yet another high-profile test with evaluations of attack helicopters due to start this summer. Seeking to get off the mark, Boeing is fielding the AH-64D Apache helicopter for the trials, Dean Millsap, regional director, Asia Pacific International Business Development, told a group of visiting Indian journalists here. Mr. Millisap said an IAF team was due to arrive in the United States and thereafter dates for the trials in different weather conditions would be finalised. Boeing is among the international companies that responded...

Kabul, Afghanistan, May 15, 2010--U.S. Air Force Major Caleb Nimmo is the first American Mi-35 HIND attack helicopter pilot to fly in combat. He is deployed to Afghanistan advising the Afghan National Army Air Corps’ rotary wing squadron as part of the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, Combined Air Power Transition Force. The 377th Rotary Wing Squadron of the Kabul Air Wing is advised by CAPTF’s coalition partners from the Czech Republic, Hungary and the U.S. The squadron flies the Russian made Mi-35 attack helicopter and the Mi-17 transport helicopter. Maj. Nimmo received his Mi-35 training from a civilian contractor in...

Of the 67 in service, just 18 – or 27 per cent – are available for front line operations in Afghanistan or for training pilots in the United Kingdom. Across all the aircraft types, less than half of Britain's military helicopters are available for operations, with 62 per cent (322 out of a total of 522) out of service. Ministry of Defence figures obtained by the Conservative Party also show that only 44 per cent of the RAF's Chinook helicopters, 35 per cent of Merlins and 43 per cent of the Royal Navy's Sea Kings are available for service in...

HAL has performed the maiden flight of its indigenously designed & developed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH). The first Technology Demonstrator (TD-1) of the LCH flew the 20 minute flight from HAL's Helicopter Complex, Bangalore on 29th March 2010. This flight provided an opportunity to carry out low speed, low altitude checks on the various systems on-board. The crew reported that the performance of the helicopter and systems was satisfactory. Derived from the HAL Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), the new helicopter is a dedicated for attack missions, and, as such, is equipped with an enhanced weapon system, mission systems and...

AL ASAD AIR BASE — U.S. Marines with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron-269 gathered at their headquarters building here for a bittersweet ending to their six-year presence in Iraq, Dec. 15. "For more than half a decade, HMLA-269 has made Iraq a second home," said Lt. Col. Jon Hackett, commanding officer of the unit. "This marks the end of an era." During every year since 2004, HMLA-269 has had elements of the squadron conducting operations in the Al Anbar province. As part of their end-of-mission ceremony, the commanding officer and sergeant major cased their unit's colors for the final time,...

/begin my translation China: Prototype Attack Helicopter Crashes During its Test Flight Yonhap News 2007.07.16 09:58 ZW-10, a prototype attack helicopter Chinese military has been developing, crashed during its test flight, according to Jul. 16 report of Hong Kong's Apple Daily. According to the paper, the helicopter crashed on a farm field at Jingdezhen, Jiangsu Province, on Jul. 11. It was badly damaged and five were seriously injured. Jiangnan Dushibao, a local paper (in the area,) also ran an article that a helicopter crash-landed at 11:30 pm, Jul. 11, due to (mechanical) malfunction, but the article was promptly deleted. According...

Russia's Air Forces to Buy Dozens of Black Sharks, Alligators Russia is planning to purchase several dozens of the Ka-50 Black Shark and Ka-52 Alligator helicopters to boost operations of special forces, the ITAR-TASS news agency said Wednesday. Series manufacture for Ka-50/52 helicopters resumed at a plant in Arsenyev last year after a lengthy downtime. Choppers of the Kamov design and construction bureau lost a tender to the Mi-28N of Milay design bureau to develop the main helicopter for Russian air forces. Kamov, however, has been chosen to construct choppers for Russian special forces. A Ka-50 and a Ka-52 are...

New Russian Mi-28NE Attack Helicopter Offered For Export (Source: Rostvertol; issued Nov. 17, 2006) The Rostov Helicopter Production Complex Rostvertol plc is showing the export version of a new Russian attack helicopter Mi-28N at the Airshow China-2006 held in China. “The Rostvertol is active in the serial-production programme for the Mi-28NE. This aircraft is already known in many countries as the Night Hunter. Its NATO designation is Havoc. Today, we are offering the Mi-28NE for the supply to China and other countries”, Vadim Barannikov, deputy director-general of Rostvertol said. He told that last September acceptance tests were completed of a...

Turkey shortlists Rooivalk attack chopper Cape Town – It is an awe-inspiring sight, watching a nine-ton attack helicopter perform a loop and barrel rolls – the aeronautical equivalent of Luciano Pavarotti performing a perfect pike on the diving board. But this is exactly what Denel Aviation‘s CSH-2 Rooivalk attack helicopter can do – although that is not part of its operational flying capabilities. The Rooivalk was designed to fly in all weather conditions day or night at extremely low level, sometimes at an altitude of 10m, to avoid being detected. Developed in the 1990s, the Rooivalk (“Red Hawk”) is used...

Israeli Spike snares Tiger By Arie Egozi in Tel Aviv The Spanish army is to equip its Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopters with Rafael’s Spike-ER anti-armour missile, with the French army also evaluating the weapon for its production aircraft. Eurocopter has already partially integrated the Spike weapon system on the Tiger using initial funds from Spain, with this work culminating with four test launches of the 8km (5 mile)-range weapon. A full contract is now expected to be placed by year-end to arm Spain’s future fleet of 24 Tigers. Spain has already decided to purchase the ground-launched LR version of the...

French connection armed Saddam By Bill Gertz THE WASHINGTON TIMES The United States stood by for years as supposed allies helped its enemies obtain the world's most dangerous weapons, reveals Bill Gertz, defense and national security reporter for The Washington Times, in the new book "Treachery" (Crown Forum). In this excerpt, he details France's persistence in arming Saddam Hussein. First of three excerpts New intelligence revealing how long France continued to supply and arm Saddam Hussein's regime infuriated U.S. officials as the nation prepared for military action against Iraq. The intelligence reports showing French assistance to Saddam ongoing in the...